Hallways and seats at Lethbridge post-secondary institutions filled up Thursday, as both Lethbridge College and the University of Lethbridge resume studies.
After a return to in-person for both schools in the fall, students are enjoying the environment.
“It’s been a lot more fun and a lot less stressful. I feel a lot more relaxed coming onto campus,” said Jayce Hinckley, a second-year student at the college.
“Now that we’re getting back to normal, we’re starting to make friends and socialize more.
“I’m really glad to be back to where it is now.”
At the start of the academic year, that atmosphere is something Lethbridge College staff were hoping would return.
Registrar Marko Hilgersom believes the on-campus experience outside the classroom is coming back.
“We haven’t quite reached pre-COVID-19 levels, but you can see certain clubs are starting to gear up, social events, athletics,” Hilgersom said.
In September, the U of L marked by a shift to online learning and a work stoppage.
University officials feel the consistency of the last four months is in an important step for both students and staff.
“The fact that we could have a whole term where we didn’t have that kind of disruption is really a way to build encouragement, enthusiasm and feel good about entering the spring term,” said Kathleen Massey, the U of L’s vice-provost of students.
And while faculty are enjoying on-campus instruction, the schools aren’t abandoning all methods used early in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lethbridge College students are continuing with some virtual learning methods.
“We do a lot of blended courses, where let’s say 70 per cent is face-to-face, but we’ve developed a lot of online tools over the last few years,” Hilgersom said.
“Why wouldn’t we leveraged those online things that worked well online and give that to the students?”